If you have tried to visit this site in the past 24 hours, you’ve probably noticed it was down. I decided to upgrade the WordPress installation from 2.8 to 3.0. I used the automatic upgrade feature, which… well…. didn’t. It got part way done and conked out. I’ve since repaired it, and the site is back up and running again.

I was really pleased to see all the great comments that have been posted recently, or at least the non-spam ones. (It was about 50/50 spam to non-spam.) I’d considered turning comments off because of all the spam, but since it does show there are folks out there reading the site, I’m going to leave them active for now.

Here are all the news items I found in today’s browsing:

• 0One Games has released Heavenring Village: Cemetery, a PDF set of maps useful for role-playing adventures.
• Black Orc Games has released new MiniSculpts, including a Crawling Zombie, Big-Ass Gun, and Lizardman.
• Adamant Entertainment has released free Apple iPad wallpapers for Thrilling Tales, ICONS, MARS, and more.
• Bezier Games is offering their Essen 2010 Map Pack for sale on their site for $75.00. This pack reportedly includes 3 sets of double-sided mounted maps and 1 bonus preorder-only map for Steam and Age of Steam. It will be available in October.
• Games Workshop has added Wargs, White Scars Commander, and White Scars Bike Squad to its product line and announced the release of the 2010 Citadel Catalogue.
• 15mm.co.uk says Alien Squad Leader 2.0, its 15mm squad level science fiction system, is back in stock.
• Alnavco has several “New South Salem Marus” products listed, including a Passenger Ship, Standard Freighter, Modern Freighter, Collier, and Trawler.
• 2 Hour Wargames, according to its site, is working on a Formula One Racing game and putting final touches on Clash of Titans.
• Atlas Games has posted an errata page for Feng Shui that has some missing text and clarifies some typos.
• The Flames of War web site lists new products, including a Heavy Anti-Aircraft Artillery Platoon, HG Pioneer Platoon, HG 7.5cm lelG18 gun, and HG 15cm slG33 gun.
• The Classic Battletech site has information about Catalyst Game Labs’ planned activities at Origins 2010 next week (which I’ll be attending!). They’ll be showing off some of the latest additions to BattleTech and Shadowrun, as well as their casual game line that includes Merchants, High School Drama, and Ergo.
• Conquest Miniatures has just sent a line of 28mm British soldier miniatures to the mold maker. Pictures appear on the site.
• Decision Games is looking for playtesters for future magazine wargames.
• Eden Studios has an open call out for freelance artists.
• Firaxis Games has announced that Sid Meier’s Civilization V will be released for the PC on September 21, 2010, in North America. The worldwide release is three days later.
• Gale Force Nine has published a preview of its Warlock Player Character Token Set for the Dungeons and Dragons.
• John Jenkins Designs has adjusted some of its “New for 2010″ wargame products to be “New for July 2010″, including The First Sudan War 1884-1885, The Jacobite Rebellion, The Raid on St. Francis, and Siege of Quebec.
• Matrix Games has announced the release of Storm over the Pacific. This PC wargame portrays the Pacific Theater conflicts in World War II. It depicts the conflict between Japan and the United States, and players may choose from 26 available countries with historically accurate orders of battle including land, sea, and air units. It sells for $49.99 as a digital download or $59.99 in the U.S. as a physical boxed game.
• Mega Miniatures has listed a number of soccer/football miniatures on its site, which are available through their eBay store.
• The Mayfair Games site says that Catan Geographies: Germany Live Demos are available at retailers, and that Settlers of America will debut at Origins.
• Mongoose Publishing has announced A Bridge Too Far, a pre-order title that will ship in July 2010. This standalone strategic boardgame attempts to re-create the 1944 initiative by the Allies to capture a number of key bridges leading to Germany’s heartland.
• Pinnacle Entertainment Group will have a limited supply of prerelease copies of Deadlands Reloaded Player’s Guide at Origins and Gen Con. Weird War II Vehicle Counters are also available now for free on their site. Lots of other updates have been posted recently as well.
• Reaper Miniatures has posted a list of recently-made-available figures, including some for Dark Heaven Legends, Warlord, Chronoscope and Pathfinder.
• Scale Creep Miniatures has announced that Field of Glory: Renaissance, and FoG Renaissance: Wars of Religion are coming soon. These rulebooks are based on the Field of Glory ancient and medieval rulesets, but depict battles from the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries.
• Shrapnel Games’ Gamers Front online store has a June 2010 special going on until June 25. The discounted games are Second World War: winSPWW2 Enhanced Edition and War Plan Pacific. Each is available at $34.95 as of this writing. They’re also having a Summer Sale where you can get $3.00 or more off several titles.
• Timecast Models has listed new 6mm Modern Industrial Buildings, including five new units suitable for use from the 1960s to the present. They’re available in painted and unpainted versions.